Police in Louisiana town uses 'Purge siren' to signal curfew

CROWLEY, Louisiana -- Emergency curfews in south Louisiana usually happen during natural disasters like hurricanes, but the coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented.

Apparently, the way law enforcement alerted citizens in the town of Crowley was also unprecedented, and the chief of police says it won't happen again.

KATC-TV reports that Crowley Police drove around the town last week and broadcast an alarm sound from the film franchise "The Purge" to signify the beginning of curfew.

Crowley Police told residents they would hear a different sound than regular sirens that would signify the beginning of the 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew. Residents are not allowed to leave their homes until the following morning.

Police chief Jimmy Broussard told KATC he had no idea the sound was associated with "The Purge" and didn't plan on using any type of siren moving forward.

"The Purge" is a fictional horror franchise that depicts a time in America when a national holiday is celebrated in which all crimes, including murder, are legal for a 12-hour period. When the 12-hour period begins, sirens begin to blare and all emergency services are unavailable.

More than a dozen cities and parishes in Louisiana have enacted emergency curfews in an attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus. Louisiana ranks second in the nation for coronavirus deaths per-capita, with a majority of them in the New Orleans area.

More than 15,000 people live in Crowley in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, and is approximately 150 miles west of New Orleans. At least two deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported in Acadia Parish as of Sunday.